The invention pertains to a feed pump for supplying lubricant to at least one lubricating point which features at least one driving module and at least one pump module. The invention furthermore pertains to a modular pump system for a feed pump of this type.
Feed pumps for supplying lubricants such as, for example, lubricating grease or oil usually feature a pump element that is formed, for example, by a delivery piston that supplies the lubricant to a lubricating point, as well as a drive element that is assigned to this pump element and serves for actuating the pump element. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,292 B2 discloses a grease pump in which a pneumatically actuated driving element in the form of a piston is arranged in a common housing with a pump element realized in the form of a delivery piston. If the pump element and/or the driving element needs to be exchanged due to a defect, it is imperative that a specific pump element or driving element suitable for this purpose be used. Consequently, replacement parts that are specially adapted to different feed pumps must be available. In addition, feed pumps of this type are designed for a certain operating mode, e.g., due to the pneumatically or hydraulically operated driving element, and cannot be readily driven, e.g., mechanically and/or electrically. Known feed pumps are furthermore designed for a certain lubricant.